Ross Taylor gets emotional before final match, hailed by Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid

After a cricketing career that began way back in 2006, New Zealand legend Ross Taylor drew curtains on his playing days as he took part in his final match for the Kiwis against the Netherlands on Monday. Taylor broke down ahead of the pre-match rituals, and was visibly emotional during the national anthem before the match. 

The 38-year-old was also joined by his wife, and their three children – Mackenzie, Jonty, and Adelaide at the Seddon Park in Hamilton as New Zealand faced off against the Dutch side. 

Ross Taylor’s wife Victoria and their extended family were also spotted at the occasion, and a video is now going viral, which shows the veteran all teared up as he took part in the national anthem before the match. Kiwis batter Martin Guptill was also seen consoling Taylor, which left cricket fans gushing. 

READ| IPL 2022: Which new skipper is not feeling ‘pressure’ despite winless IPL run? – Know here!

Ross Taylor is about to play his final international game of cricket for New Zealand.

We will miss you Rosco #SparkSport #NZvNED pic.twitter.com/Y6kmXVHvSH
— Spark Sport (@sparknzsport) April 4, 2022

And that’s not all, the New Zealand icon also received a guard of honour from the opposition players who lined up to show their respect for Ross Taylor, however, in his farewell game, the veteran failed to put up a big score and was caught and bowled by Logan van Beek on 14 runs after facing 16 balls. 

Messages from around the cricketing world for @RossLTaylor ahead of his final match for New Zealand tomorrow at Seddon Park. #ThanksRosco #NZvNED pic.twitter.com/krmI1aUY2l
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) April 3, 2022

Furthermore, Ross Taylor was also in for a surprise as he received heartfelt wishes from cricketers of past and present, who congratulated the Kiwis star for a legendary career, which saw him represent New Zealand in all three formats racking up a tally of more than 15,000 runs. 

READ| ‘Thukra ke mera pyar…’: Netizens believe CSK lost due to absence of Suresh Raina

New Zealand cricket shared a special video message for Taylor, which featured the likes of Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, and Taylor’s compatriot Daniel Vettori among others. 

He made his ODI debut on March 1, 2006, vs West Indies, and would go on to represent the Kiwis for 16 years, before calling time on his illustrious career.